The invention relates generally to the addition of carotenoids to layer chicken diets and, more specifically, to a formulation of carotenoids combined with a vegetable oil, a surfactant, a chelating agent, an antioxidant, an alkali and a solvent to improve the amount of carotenoids deposited in the yolk of eggs and other parts of the chickens.
Consumers have started to view food from a functional viewpoint. Functional foods can be defined as those providing health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Interest in functional foods increased in the last decade due to the overwhelming scientific evidence highlighting the relation between diet and health. The interest in functional foods has resulted in a number of new foods in the marketplace designed to address specific health concerns, particularly as regards chronic diseases of aging. In addition to new functional foods traditional foods and familiar foods are also found to have potential health benefits. A classic example is eggs. Eggs have not traditionally been regarded as a functional food, primarily due to concerns about their adverse effects on serum cholesterol levels. It is now known that consuming one egg per day does not adversely increase the blood cholesterol levels. Finally, eggs are increasingly being seen as a dietary source of essential components, including carotenoids and in particular the carotenoid lutein.
Carotenoids are fat-soluble compounds and their absorption involves solubilization and incorporation into micelles. In humans at least, the actual intestinal uptake is believed to occur by passive diffusion along with uptake of dietary fat. The presence of dietary fat is thought to be important for micelle formation in the small intestine; dietary fat therefore, may also be crucial for absorption of carotenoids. The addition of fat has been reported to increase the bioavailability of lutein. Lutein is a well-reported phytonutrient for eye health. Lutein is an oxy-carotenoid present in many plants and dark leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Purified crystalline lutein has a bright orange-yellow color. Lutein intake has been reported to be declining in the United States to between 1.5 and 2 mg/day, attributed primarily to the decrease in the consumption of dark greens. Egg yolk contains lutein but in very low concentration (approximately 0.1 mg/100 g edible part of egg). Eggs could be a source of lutein if the lutein content is increased to 1 mg/100 g edible part.
Accordingly, there is a need for an animal feed ingredient formulation that will improve the deposition of carotenoids in the yolk of eggs of birds fed the formulation. Eggs with an increased level of carotenoids will provide higher levels of the needed carotenoids to humans who eat the eggs.